Tufted mattress



Sept l5, 1931. E PITTONI 1,823,700

TUFTED MATTRESS Filed June e, 1928 L/ Wff WWI/5.

Patented sept. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIs E. PITTONI, or JAMAICA, NEW YORK, AssIGNoR To THE ROME COMPANY. ING., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK TUFTED MATTRESS Application inea .Tune 6,1928. serial No. 283,444.

The usual method of tufting a mattress is to secure a tuft or but-ton to the loo-p end of a doubled string passing through the mattress from top to bottom; the loose ends of the string being then tied about another tuft, or being simply tied and looped over a button. By this old method the length of string between top and bottom tufts may not 'be the same at any two points in the mattress, and may vary as much as an inch; because the final length of string depends upon the pull exerted by the workmen in tying a string, as well as the resistance encountered.

' In y my prior application Serial Number 278,611 I have disclosed a means ,for over coming the foregoing objections, making it possible for unskilled persons to secure uniform thickness of the mattress throughout.

In the specific embodiment of my invention illustrated in the aforesaid application, the

positions of the tufts depends upon the skill of the operator in locating the tying strings.

Furthermore, the ends of the strings are engaged with tufts or buttons lying on the outside of the fabric. In the case of hard mattresses the projections on the outside are. of no importance, since they are located in ,depressions formed by pulling the top and bottom of the mattress toward each other. 3o- I-Iowever, where the mattresses are soft, as is true of spring-filled mattresses, projecting tufts or buttons are objectionable because they will be felt by a person lying in bed on the mattress; and the user, for this reason frequently cuts oit' projecting tuft elements on the soft mattresses. A

The object of the present invention is to make possible so-called tufting of a mattress without leaving projections or protuberances that will' make the mattress uncomfortable to a person lying on the same, particularly in the case of soft mattresses.

yI prefer to use preformed endless strings by means of which uniformity of thickness, at the tufts will be obtained. Therefore, viewed in one of its aspects, the present invention may be said to have for its object to make it possible quickly and easily to tuft a mattress uniformly throughout, without leavingi projections or protuberances.

In carrying out my invention I provide the top and bottom sheet of the mattress boxing with eyelets properly spaced, so that the tufting strings may pass through the mattress from each upper eyeletto a lower eyelet. By this means the positions of the tufts are predetermined and do not depend upon the skill of the person applying the tufts. Eyelets have heretofore been used.y but, because they leave openings in the topand bottom of the boxing, dirt is able to enter the mattress through the eyelets, and the mattress stuffing sometimes pushes out through the eyelets. Viewed in one of its aspects, the present invention may be said to have for its object a simple and novel means for tufting a mattress in which the strings pass between top and bottom eyelets, whereby the op'enings in the eyelets will be closed so as to prevent the entrance of dirt and the escape of the stuffing material.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter' be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding Of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description-taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 80

Figure l isl a top plan view of a corner of a mattress tufted in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section, on a larger scale than Fig. 1, through a fragment of a mattress, illustrating a step in the 85 process of making one of the tufts; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating a further stage in the process of making a tuft; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Figs. 2 and 3, showing the tuft completed; Fig. 5 is a plan view, on a greatly enlarged scale of oneA of the upper or lower tuft terminals as it appears in the completed mattress; Fig. 6 is a section taken approximately on line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a side view of the grommet, one of which is set into each eyelet. j

Referring tothe drawings, 1 and 2 represent the top and bottom sheets or walls of a mattress boxing, the thickness of the same being exaggerated in the drawings. Before 10o the elementsof the boxing are assembled, each Aof these sheets is .provided with a' series of eyelets 3 distributedover the same in accord'- ance with any predetermined design. In

order to strengthen the fabric at theeyelets,4

a washer-like piece offabric, as indicated at 4, is preferably placed on the under or inner side of the boxing 'fabric at each eyelet, so that each eyelet will be clinched'upon a double-thickness of fabric.

i The tufting strings 5 are of .the endless type, preformed in any suitable manner, so

' as indicated at ,8 in Fig. 7, so that at the bottom they are semi-circular in shape, of a diameter about equal to the diameter of thetufting string. The sides of the openings gradually approach each other toward the top of the grommet, so that at the top the width of the openings is less than the thickness of the string. Furthermore, therim or flange portions of the grommet arev cut away at the slit, as indicated at 9., to provide a wide ta ered mouth on each side of the ommet g p gr -erably used, .these openings could be otherwhich mouths "will serve to guide the string into the slits or slots in the sides-of the bowl .or'cup of the grommet.

After the mattress has cept for the tufting, the tufting may be performed byany unskilled person as follows:Y A preformed .endless string ispressed into the slit of one of the grommets which yields to'le-t it pass through the narrow-necks of the slits.v Then, with the knot. in the string lying close to the grommet, along-needle, a fragment of which is'shown at A in- Fig. 2,

- is used to draw4 the string up through the mattress, the latter expands, causing the up per grommet to be drawn down'into the 11pper eyelet as shown in Fig. 4. Thispr ocess 1s repeated until Aall of the tufting strings have been applied. f p

- By making the grommets of spring metal, or at least of metal that possesses a certain de 'tress fabric, or-be in contrast been completed, ex

' my invention gree of resiliency, they will be held tightly in the eyelets and will'not-come out when the lmattress is pressed down by the weight of a person lying on the same. It will be seen that by making the bowl orcup of the grommet of the proper depth the loop of the string y will lie just underl the eyelet, forming a substantial closure for the major portions of the slitsv in the grommet. Consequently there are no openings left for the escape of the.

lmattress stuffing, and no substantial openings through which dirt V can enter the mattress. The vertical thickness of the eyelets 1s exaggerated in the drawings, butit will be seen that if the eyelets and the grommets are made of thin sheet metal, there would be no I appreciable elevation'of the surface of the mattress where the tufts appear, even when -the fabric'is flattened out. The eyelets andthe grommets may be made of any suitable material and be of any suitable color so as to harmonize'with the color scheme of the mattherewith, as mav be desired. While I prefer to use grommets thatare bowl-shaped or cup-shaped, tosecure a large holding surface and effect' a' substantially complete closure for the openings inthe eyelets, yet other suitable means may be elnploye'd'for hooking the loopsv at the ends of the doubled strings to the top and bottom walls ofthe mattress boxing. Also, While eyelets for the openings through which the rommets or suspending means pass are-pref-` wise reinforced if reinforcing be desired. Also, while I prefer to use the endless strings inforder to secure all of the'advantages of the invention, strings of any kind or other suitable iiexible ymembers might be utilized:

so that where I use the word strings I mean any flexible elements suitable for the purpose. Therefore,lwhile -I .have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not. desire to be limited to they exact strnctural details thus illustrated and described;

but intend t cover all forms and .arrangements which come within the deiinitions of constituting the appendedclaims.

I claim 1. The combination'with a mattress and its i boxing, of cup-shaped elements, each hav- -ing a slit leading inwardly through the top,

extending through the top and bottom walls ,of the boxing and having flanges resting'on` the outer sides vofsaid walls, andilexible ties extending through the mattress and engaged' in the slits of said elements, there being atie Abetween each of said elements and the corretress between two ofthe said elements at one wall and the corresponding elements at the opposite wall, the strings passing through the slits in said elements.

3. The combination with a mattress and its j boxing, of eyelets fixed in the top and bottom sheets of the boxing, grommets fitting frictionally in said eyelets and having flanges resting againstthe outer faces of the latter; the grommets being long enough to extend into the mattress beyond the eyelets and be-` ing split across from (he outer ends to points inwardly `from the evelets, and endless strings passing through the mattress and each passing through the slit in two corresponding grommets in opposite sheets of the boxing. y

4. The combination with a mattress and its boxing, of eyelets in the top and bottom sheets of the boxing, cup-shaped elements, each hav- .ing a slit leading inwardly through the top,

' extending through and frictionally fitting in said eyelets and having flanges resting against the outer faces of the latter, and ties passing through the mattress and each extending .through the slit in an upper cupshaped element and the slit in the corresponding lower cup-shaped element, the .parts being so proportioned that the ties'substantially close the openings made by the slits and thereby prevent dirt from entering the mattress through the eyelets.

5f The combinati-on with a mattress having eyelets in the top, grommets slitted' downwardly from the top fitting frictionally into said eyelets, and exible ,ties extending through the slits in the grommets and down through the mattress.

6. An anchor for the end of a tie element comprising an eyelet, a cup-shaped sheet metal member fitting frictionally within the evelet, the, depth of the cup-shaped member being considerably greater than the thickness a flange overlying the eyelet, and there being an opening in said cup-shaped member below the eyelet to receive thetie element.

7. The combination with a cushion member and a c'over therefor, of eyelets distributed over two opposed ,walls of the cover, grom- J mets movable in t and out of the eyelets from the outside, each grommethavingan inner part fitting into the corresponding eyelet -so as to be frictionally held therein against withdrawal and an outer i through the eyelet, and ties ex'ending through the cushion between` said opposed walls and each connected at one end to a grommet in onepof said walls and at the part too p wide to pass opplosite end to a grommet in the opposite wal 8. The combination with a cushion niember and a cover therefor, of eyelets distributed over two opposed walls of the cover, grommets movable into and out of said eyelets from the outside, each grommet havin a body portion fitting into the corresponding eyelet with sufficient friction yieldingly to hold the grommet against withdrawal, each grommet also having a thin flange resting on the corresponding eyelet, and ilexibleties extending through the cushion transversely of said walls, each tie being connected at one end to a grommet 1in one of said walls and at its other end to a grommet in the other of said walls.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specifica- 

